


Grayscale

by entertainmyfaith



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, Soulmate AU, platonic Joshler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-05-15 16:18:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5792332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entertainmyfaith/pseuds/entertainmyfaith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Society has perfected the idea of love. Centuries ago, scientists had developed a formula that was injected into every child as they were born. The formula connected the dopamine centers in the brain to the way eyes perceive colour. Children would see in black and white until they met the person they were destined to be with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Some people never saw colour. Some people never lived without it. Both were minor percentages of society though, the majority of us only saw colour when we met our soulmate. I wasn’t one of the lucky few who never lived in a black and white world, and it’s too early to tell if I am destined to live without it forever. My best friend Zarah only lived for fifteen years before seeing colour. I’ll never forget the look on her face when we walked into the cute little café on Fifteenth Street. I was complaining to her about how I had gotten called into work on my day off, and she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening. I stopped talking, and followed her gaze. There was a boy there, he had short hair that spiked up softly, and he was looking at her with this tender expression, you could tell they were soulmates. I looked back at Zarah.  
“What are you waiting for, go say hi, spend the rest of your life with him,” I laughed.  
“Ade, this is amazing. The colours, they’re everywhere,” Zarah breathed.  
The slender boy walked over to us slowly. 

“Hello. I’m Christopher, and you, you are amazing, you are so beautiful.” 

Zarah blushed.  
“H-hi, I’m Zarah, and this is Adrianna, and you’re not too bad yourself.” 

Chris glanced over at me and said hello, but I could tell where I wasn’t wanted.  
Zarah looked over at me and gasped, “Ohmygod Ade you’re so beautiful, your eyes are-“  
“No! Z, remember our deal!” I cut her off.  
When we were younger, about thirteen or so, when it started becoming real that one day we would meet someone who literally brought colour into our black and white world, we swore to each other that whoever found their soulmate first wouldn’t ruin colours for the other. 

Christopher was staring at Zarah, obviously enthralled by her. Even black and white, my best friend was stunning. Her hair was cut to her shoulders and fell straight, it was a light colour, and so were her eyes, which to me didn’t mean much, because unless someone’s hair was actually black, it looked gray to me.  
“Yeaah, so I am going to go home,” I told the pair, “you two have fun.” 

I walked home alone. I thought a lot on the walk, about how happy I was for Zarah, meeting her soulmate at just fifteen years old. I began to think about my soulmate, and how incredible it would be to meet him. ‘I cant wait, it’s going to be just like a fairy tale, like it was for Zarah' I thought to myself. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was six years ago to the day that Zarah first saw Christopher in that café. I was the photographer for their wedding. ‘It’s a good thing you don’t need to be able to see colour to get a good picture’ I thought to myself bitterly. I still hadn’t met my soulmate, and it was getting hard to stomach everyone I knew seeing colour while my world was still dreary and gray. 

“I do.” Zarah choked out through her tears.  
Christopher’s steady voice rang out through the hall, “I do.” 

I snapped a few shots as Chris and Zarah Black had their first kiss as a married couple.  
Zarah and Chris were the kind of couple that made me jealous. I mean, I was pretty used to living alone, I was pretty used to black and white, and on days that I didn’t see them, I did alright. The second I saw them together though, jealousy tore through my body and I couldn’t help but try to distance myself from my once best friend. 

One thing about Zarah though, she never broke her promise. She never told me of colours, not even when they were planning their wedding. I could tell she felt sorry for me though, and I hated it. 

After my job as photographer was done at the wedding, I went back to my apartment for some much needed rest. On the drive home, I thought about everyone I knew that had their soulmates by their sides. There was Debby and Elena, Peter and Sarah, Brendon and Amanda, the list seemed never ending. In fact, I was the only one in my friend group that was still living in grayscale. Debby and Elena were the newest pairing, Elena and I got fairly close over the last six months as we ended up as the last two of our group alone. Then, one night we were at a party, everyone was really tipsy, and I saw Elena talking to another girl, and I thought ‘Great! Someone else to hang out with” I wandered over to the pair and heard “your eyes are so blue, Debby” I turned around and left. For the rest of the night, all I thought about was blue. 

I got back to my apartment. It was perfect for me, small, plain, functional. I put my camera bag on the table and went into my room. For me, my black comforter and white walls provided a clean contrast. Which was alright. I didn’t much like those in between gray colours that I see everywhere, it only reminds me of what I don’t have. My entire wardrobe is black and white. My entire apartment is black and white. No in between here. It makes my comfortable. I feel safe. 

I walk over to the full length mirror in my bedroom and look myself over. My hair is dark gray, almost black and falls down to my waist when it’s natural and straight. Today it is pinned back into a ponytail so it wouldn’t get in my way while I was shooting. My skin is light. My clothes are black. I too, am a contrast. The only gray on me is my hair, and I can’t do anything about that. I sigh and change into a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable shirt. I crawl into bed, and check my phone one more time before going to sleep, my only message is from the new Mrs. Black. 

thank you so much again for shooting our wedding Ade. It means the world to me that you were there. I love you.  
I quickly type back. 

All my love to the Black’s. You were a beautiful black and white bride. It was my pleasure to photograph this wonderful occasion. I’ll send you the pictures soon. 

I power off my phone, and quickly fall asleep. 

I dream of all the times I have been witness to someone finding the love of their life. Sometimes, it was instantaneous, like with Zarah and Chris, but I’ll never forget Brendon and Amanda, they lived next door to each other for years, and they were close friends all throughout school, and on graduation day, they walked in the school in their robes hand in hand. The entire class was shocked, it was very rare for a soulmate connection to manifest after so many years, but it happens. Sometimes it took a second, sometimes a week, and sometimes years. 

I was so jealous of all those who had an instantaneous connection, or any connection at all. My dreams turned to the night Debby and Elena met, blue running through my thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

I wake up with a start.   
“Blue!” 

I sigh. Not again. It’s been six months since I first heard the colour, and I can’t get it out of my head. I wonder what it looks like. Is it bright? Is it a happy colour? I sigh. Maybe one day I’ll find out for myself. 

I check my emails, I’ve been waiting for days to hear back about this opportunity to photograph a band that is coming to town. I was lucky to get the job of my dreams as a photographer, I’ve done plenty of weddings and graduations, but I still haven’t branched into concert photography, and I’ve been trying for months to land a job. I quickly scan the screen. There were only a few new ones, a mother wanting to book a graduation photo session, a wedding request, and an email from the band I wanted to shoot. 

Dear Ms.Wilson,  
We have accepted your request to photograph tonight’s concert at the Enmax Arena. Please arrive at 6:00 p.m. to receive your pass and to meet the band. 

Thank you, 

James McDavid.   
Tour coordinator for Twenty One Pilots. 

I gasped. I actually got it! This was my chance to try something new. I spent all morning preparing for the concert. I charged my camera battery, bought a brand new memory card, and made sure I had all of my lenses together in my bag. I showered and made myself presentable, but comfortable. I wore black jeans, and a black tank top with combat boots. I didn’t want to wear white, there would be other photographers in the pit and its best to just blend into the shadows and not get in anyone else’s shot. I braided my long hair to the side to make sure it wouldn’t be in my way during the night. There is nothing worse than shifting your camera bag a million times because it keeps getting caught on your hair. I threw on a little makeup, just enough so I didn’t look like a mess, and ran out the door. 

I got to the venue at 5:50, ten minutes early just to be safe. I went into the front doors of the arena, an saw six other people there with big camera bags. I spotted a couple different ID badges, identifying themselves as various radio stations from around the city. I joined the group just as a young man approached us. I saw him mentally count the group, and he seemed satisfied with what he saw. 

“Hello everyone, I am James McDavid, I am the tour coordinator for Twenty One Pilots. The first openers for the show come on at approximately 7:30 so we have an hour and a half. Please feel free to wander the facility and find the best vantage points.   
I started to walk away slowly. ‘I thought that email said something about meeting them. Hm, maybe that comes after the show.’ I was thinking to myself. I had never really heard the band before, but I had been applying to every concert I could, and this band was fairly small compared to a lot of the acts that usually came through town, so I had applied to come to the show thinking the small band would get me better chances. 

“Is Ms. Wilson here?” James asked the group before we got too far. 

My heart jumped a little at the mention of my name. Why is he asking for me specifically?   
“That would be me,” I replied, hoping he couldn’t hear my nerves. 

“Ms. Wilson, the band agree to meet with one photographer after every show, to offer an exclusive chance to get an interview, or pose for pictures or what not. Tonight they would like to meet with you. After the show do not leave the photo pit, I will have one of our crew members bring you back stage to meet with boys,” James turned and walked away quickly, pulling out his phone and checking it and muttering to himself a little. Obviously being a tour manager was a busy job. 

I couldn’t help but feel a little flattered that the band had chosen me to meet with. I mean there was all those radio stations here that played their music, and I was just a photographer looking to branch out. I was never one to pass up on an offer though. I spent the next little while wandering around the small venue. I thought maybe 4,000 people could fit in there if it was packed. So it was a small band, I groaned, wondering what kind of small town hick band I was here to see. All I wanted was pictures anyway, the talent didn’t concern me as much. I sighed and went to the photo pit, lining up my angles and practicing my shots through the two opening acts.   
The actual concert was mind blowing. First of all, it was only a two man band. One sat behind a drum kit, and the other guy was everywhere. He was jumping all over the stage one minute, rapping faster than I could think, and the next minute he would be behind the piano crooning at the audience to stay alive. It was the best concert I have ever been to. One of my favorite moments came during a song about having guns for hands, and the drummer got off stage and walked to the people right in the crowd right behind me and got onto a small platform holding a minimalistic drum set, and played half of a song right on top of the crowd. Their energy was incredible. I felt so lucky to be apart of something so alive. 

The concert was over after an elaborate drum battle that had both guys on the crowd and confetti shooting everywhere. I got some incredible pictures that I was so proud of. I couldn’t wait to show all my friends, I bet they were even better in colour. The whole night the stage was flashing all these grays, and even though I couldn’t see the colours they were meant to be, I still felt like I was part of something amazing. Obviously not everyone in that room had a soulmate, so the show was obviously lit with the intention of being for everyone. I was in awe of what just two men could bring to the crowd. 

The entire room went black for a minute after the final song, and the crowd began shuffling out after the arena lights came on. I remembered what James had said and stayed in the photo pit. A young man approached me, he was wearing a shirt that said ‘CREW’ in bold letters. 

“Are you Ms. Wilson?”   
I nodded, and started to follow him backstage. 

“Tyler and Josh will be out in a few minutes, you can just wait right here,” the young man told me. 

I thanked him and started scrolling through the images on the LCD screen on my camera.   
“Woah those are incredible!” I jumped as a voice came from directly behind me. 

“Oh. Hello, and thank you!” I said to the young woman who had scared me. “I’m Adrianna, I’m a photographer here tonight.” 

“Jenna, I am the singers wife,” the woman laughed. 

“Oh wow! You’re lucky to be married to such a talented man,” I told her, “even in black and white the show was incredible,” I gushed, not realizing my mistake. 

The pity overflowed Jenna’s eyes, I could tell she felt sorry for me. It was inevitable. Everyone in love pities those who aren’t. 

A man walked up behind her. He had soft looking hair and a kind smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Yeah, she’s lucky,” he grinned. 

“You must be Tyler? I’m so glad to meet you, I’m Adrianna Wilson, one of the local photographers.” I shook his hand.   
“Nice to meet you as well. Thank you for coming out tonight. I would love to stay and get to know you, but I am honestly exhausted. Josh will be coming out in a minute to talk with you about the show.” 

With that, Tyler and his wife left, hand in hand.   
Not two minutes later another man walked out, I recognized him as the drummer. 

“Hey! You’re Adrianna right?”

“That I am. Josh? Nice to meet you.”   
I almost tripped over my words. The man in front of me had dark curly hair, and a beautiful full sleeve tattoo that I couldn’t stop staring at. Some of the intricate designs were lost on my eyes because it all looked gray to me, but I could tell it was beautiful. 

“It’s nice right? I can’t wait until the day I see it how you do,” the drummer sighed.   
“Wait what do you mean? It’s black and white to me. I don’t see colour yet.” 

“Oh really? Me either.” His dark eyes looked sad at the thought.   
“Wait a second,” I looked at the man questioningly, “if you don’t see colour, why do you have a tattoo that’s obviously full of it?” 

“My friend Katherine is a tattoo artist, and once she met her soulmate she wanted to play with colours. I trust her judgment and I always wanted a tattoo, so I let her experiment on me,” he laughed at his strange story. 

We sat on the couches that were against the wall, and talked for hours. I told him about my photography business, and he told me about travelling the world, meeting fans every day and playing shows every night. It sounded like a fascinating life. The band had gone all over the world, from Australia to Europe and Asia. I was jealous of him for the experiences he got to have. It was my dream to travel the world. 

I checked my phone and laughed, “Oh my god its 2:30 a.m. I should let you go, you probably have to get onto the next city!” 

“Actually we have another show here tomorrow. You should come by again. I mean you don’t have to watch the show, but like we should hang out again..” He trailed off awkwardly. 

“I’ll definitely come back for the show, but this time I just want to watch, it was an amazing set and I want to experience it without being behind the lens,” I smiled at the drummer.   
He promised to save me a good seat and we said our goodnights. I smiled all the way out to my car.


	4. Chapter 4

Josh climbed into the tour bus at almost 3 in the morning. He’d never stayed to talk to anyone after a show that long before, but there was something about that girl that made him never want to leave. 

Tyler looked up from the couch as Josh opened the door. 

“Dude, what took so long did you get lost?” his best friend joked.   
“I dunno Tyler. I was just talking to that photographer, Adrianna,” Josh grinned.   
“I had to come nap after that show dude, that show really got me, she seemed cool though, tell me about her.” 

“I just never wanted to stop talking to her man, she has such a cool photography business, and the pictures she got of us were seriously amazing. She was so beautiful too, with her long hair, and her green eyes, and she was just so incredible…” Josh trailed off as he saw Tyler staring at him. “Bro, what?”

“Josh! What did you just say?! About that girl?”   
“Adrianna? She was beautiful man, her eyes, they were so green I could just stare at them forever,” Josh just looked at Tyler, it took a second for it to sink in. “Oh my god. Tyler. Her eyes were green. Green! As in the colour. Oh my god. Does that mean she’s my soulmate?!’   
His friend just laughed at him, “I think so man. Do you see any other colours?” 

Josh looked around the bus, it was mostly black so that didn’t really help him. He looked down at the full sleeve tattoo on his arm.   
“Holy shit man, look at my arm! It’s incredible. Katherine really knocked it out didn’t she?” Josh had had that tattoo on his arm, mocking him in all its colourful glory for three years. He was finally seeing it the way it had been meant to be seen. “Tyler, it’s her. She’s the one for me.” 

He was never happier that they had two shows in the same city.


	5. Chapter 5

The show was even better the second night. Josh had managed to get me into the photo pit so I would have a good spot without waiting hours before hand to get to the front. I watched in awe as him and his best friend tore up the stage. My favorite moments were when the pair interacted with the crowd, you could tell it meant so much to the people that got to be part of it.   
I was almost excited when the show was over. I wanted to see that drummer boy again. After their confetti streaming, drum beating finale, I followed the same young man back to the area where I had talked to Josh last night. Tonight Josh came running out of the room almost immediately after the show. I don’t even think he changed, he was still wearing this shirt that had a pink design on it.   
Wait a second. Pink?   
“Holyshitjoshohmygod!” I screeched embarrassingly. 

I looked up at that drummer boy, and I never wanted to close my eyes again. He stood there, staring at me with this look of awe on his face, and I am sure that I stood there with the same look on my face. I drank in the sight of my soulmate. His gorgeous brown curly hair, his hazel eyes, the silver glint of the ring in his nose. My eyes focused on the sleeve on his arm. The beautiful blend of all colours. Blue, green, red and orange, all centred around this tree on his forearm. 

“Hi,” I breathed, looking at the man I had waited all my life for.   
“Hi,” he laughed.   
Then before I knew it his arms were around me and I was touching my soulmate, holding him. My arms around his neck, our foreheads touching, just looking into his eyes. I knew now what it was that Zarah had felt all those years ago in that café on Fifteenth Street. I knew what it was to love. I had known this man for less than 48 hours, and I knew it was love because he brought colour into my black and white world. I was engineered to love this man. 

We just stood there, staring at each other. My hands in his hair, his hands locked around my waist. My eyes flicked down to his beautiful lips, and back up to his eyes. He closed the space between us and we were kissing. My entire body seemed to ignite when our lips touched. I parted my mouth and his tongue met mine and I had never been more blissful. I felt his hands travelling up my back, then down to my thighs. He picked me up and I locked my legs around his waist and he walked me over to the couch and sat, with me on his lap, our lips never parting. When we finally came up for air, his lips were swollen and I could feel the burn on my face as I blushed. I had never kissed anyone like that before.   
“You know, this was the last night of our tour,” Josh told me.   
I just looked at him. How could I be so lucky that he wouldn’t have to leave me so soon? 

“I mean, I have a couple of months off, and I live in L.A., do you want to come hangout at my house for a bit, we can get to really know each other,” he smirked. 

“I’d like that.”


	6. Chapter 6

Josh and I said our goodnights soon after our kiss. He was exhausted from the show, and I really really needed to talk to Zarah. As soon as I got home I crawled into bed and dialed Zarahs number. 

“It happened Zarah. I met him. He is beautiful. Brown hair and hazel eyes and the most beautiful work of art on his arm. I found him. My soulmate. My world has colour,” I started speaking before she had even said hello. 

“Oh my god Ade that’s so amazing! Whats his name? How did you meet? What does he do?” Zarah was almost as excited for me as I was for myself. 

I talked to her for hours about Josh and his band and how they were going on a break for a few months. I was finally living in her world. I couldn’t wait for Josh to meet her. 

***

Josh stumbled onto the tour bus like he was drunk. He was so exhausted from months of touring, and all he wanted was to be with her. Adrianna. It was the most beautiful name he had ever heard. 

“Bro, why are you here?” Tyler asked, “You know we are going home to Ohio tonight, I thought you were gonna catch a flight to LA in the morning?”

“Dude I just can’t think straight. Its habit to come here, and I thought you weren’t leaving until the morning. Oh man I just have to see her again, would it be weird if I just showed up at her place?” 

Tyler just grinned at his best friend. He knew exactly how Josh felt. He remembered the first time seeing Jenna. He never wanted to look at anyone else again. 

**

There was a knock on my door. 

“Girl I gotta go someone is here, I’ll call you later!” I clicked off my call with Zarah. We had been talking for hours. I was kind of a mess, in sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, my hair was still in the braid that I put it in for the concert, but I hadn’t been expecting any guests. I pulled my braid out and ran my fingers through my hair so it was wavy and loose. I pulled open my front door. 

“Josh?” 

“Hey Ade, I totally forgot that Tyler and Jenna are driving home tonight and I haven’t booked my flight yet, and I was going to go to a hotel, but then I realized all I wanted was to see you,” he rambled. 

I let him into my apartment, grinning at my awkward drummer boy. He looked around the apartment, and kind of a funny look came over his face. I immediately felt super self-conscious wondering what he was thinking. I didn’t think my apartment was that bad, I had some of my favorite pictures up on the walls, some scenery shots I had taken on my vacations, I had the pyramids from Mexico, some beach shots, and of course pictures of me and my family and friends. I had never realized, but they were colour. I’d never noticed until now, I’d just always forgotten when I had printed them off. My walls were white, my furniture all black, but it was clean, and homey. I didn’t understand what he was staring at. 

“Uh, Josh? What’s wrong?” 

“Oh! Nothing, it’s just, your pictures are amazing,” he grinned at me.   
“You know what we should do?! Let’s look at my pictures from your show, I bet they’re amazing in colour!” 

I pulled him to my sofa and grabbed my laptop. It didn’t take long for me to load my memory card for us to look at. 

“Fair warning, there is like a million pictures here, and they might not all be good, the lighting at your show is crazy hard for me to capture,” I laughed nervously, suddenly terrified that none of my pictures had turned out at all.   
Josh just laughed at me, and pulled me close to his side. I melted into him, this felt right, natural. 

I started scrolling through the pictures of the opening acts quickly, wanting to get to the pictures of Josh. I found the first photo of their set, it was a silhouette of Josh on his drums. The light behind him was a dark blue. ‘Huh,” I thought to myself, ‘so that’s blue.’ I looked quickly up at Josh, wanting to see what he thought, he met my eyes, and I forgot what I was thinking. I just wanted to stare into his beautiful eyes forever.   
“You there?” he said gently, “I wanna see more.” 

I laughed, and started scrolling through again. I kept looking to see if Josh was reacting to them, and he kept his face this calm mask the whole time, not letting me read his reaction. It was infuriating in the best way. All my favorite shots of the night were of Josh, you could just see all this emotion on his face as he hit his drums. There was one shot, when he was playing the song where he had his small set of drums on the crowd, the faces of the crowd were black, you could just see the silhouette of the hands reaching out to touch him, but Josh, he was nothing but light. He was beautiful. I sighed. I would have to print this one for my wall. I felt Josh press a kiss into my hair. 

“That is..” he seemed lost for words. 

I smiled and looked up at him, “thank you.”   
I had people compliment my work before, I mean you don’t get to be a professional photographer by just being okay. Never had it meant more to me than when Josh just looked at me, his eyes saying what words never could. 

“It’s amazing, you’re amazing, I can’t believe you’re mine,” he said so softly I barely heard him. 

I sent that picture to the printer in my office. After I got it, I took one of the extra frames I kept lying around and put it up on my wall right away. Josh stayed on my couch as I moved around, watching me with curious eyes. I didn’t tell him what I was doing, I just wanted to see his reaction. I put a pushpin in my wall and hung up my newest addition. I didn’t hear him stand up, but as I positioned the picture I felt his arms snake around my waist and his chin rest on my shoulder. He was just a few inches taller than me, so it was the perfect fit.   
“You put me on your wall?”   
“Of course I did. You make the perfect addition.” I turned around and put my head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. He was warm, safe. He was comfortable in an entirely different way than my stark black and white life. He was wild and warm, and so colourful. He was my future. As I stood there, wrapped up in my new life I made a decision. 

“Hey, do you think you could postpone L.A. for a few days? I need your help with something”


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up to the smell of pancakes the next morning. I got up and stretched lazily and threw my long hair up into a messy bun and shuffled into my kitchen. Josh smiled at me from my stove. “Good morning sunshine.” 

I smiled back at him. “You cook too? Is there anything you can’t do?”   
He looked back with the cockiest expression on his face, “Nope.”  
I didn’t say anything. I just looked at my soulmate. I couldn’t imagine a better match for myself. After breakfast, Josh and I went to the paint store downtown, I had the best idea last night. Josh brought colour into my life, and I wanted to bring that to life in my apartment. No more stark contrast. 

“Okay, Josh you pick a colour, and I’ll pick a colour and then you have to help me paint this apartment okay?” I told him. 

“Wait, I have a better idea. You wait here, I’ll be right back.” He pecked me on the lips and ran into the store. I sat in my car listening to my music, last night I’d downloaded some of his music, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t listen to my own boyfriends band? I put on the song they closed with at their concerts, it was called Trees. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me. I heard the door close and opened my eyes with a start. Josh was back in the passenger seat looking at me with excited eyes.   
“Go home! I have to show you my idea!” 

I laughed at his eagerness, and drove home quickly. As soon as we arrived Josh grabbed a box out of my backseat, and rushed inside. He took all my pictures off my walls and covered my floor with this big plastic sheet. When I asked him how I could help he told me to sit down on the couch and be patient. So that I did. When he had finally rearranged my living room the way he wanted, he opened the big box from the paint store. I couldn’t stand it anymore, I had to know what he was planning. He had the goofiest grin on his face when I walked over to him. He pulled out like 6 paint brushes, and I was just so confused.   
“Josh, what the hell are you doing? Why did you get so many brushes?” 

“Just look,” he pulled me over to the box. There was a ton of small paint cans in the box, a rainbow of colours. 

“I still don’t get it,” I looked at Josh, just trying to figure out what he wanted me to do. 

“Okay, well first of all, are those old clothes? Can you get paint on them?”

I shrugged, I was just wearing an old pair of leggings and a white t-shirt that I cut the sleeves off of. “Yeah I’m fine, will you just explain yourself already?”

Josh opened a can of bright yellow paint, and dipped a brush in it, before I could blink, he just flung the paint onto the wall, it splashed everywhere, drops and drips of yellow all over my wall. He looked at me, eyes bright and mischievous, “The way I see it, why have just one colour? Why not enjoy them all? I thought we could make your walls as colourful as you wanted.”   
I felt my eyes go wide, I loved it. I picked up a paintbrush and opened a deep purple colour, I grinned at Josh and flung my paint onto the wall. “You’re brilliant, drummer boy.”   
We opened all the paints that he got, there was pinks, blues, greens, every colour you could imagine. We spent hours just throwing paint around the room. I finally understood the plastic, he was protecting my floors from the mess they would have been without it. I bent down to get some green on my brush, and when I looked up, Josh put a hot pink streak down my arm, I tagged him back with my green, and a few beautiful minutes later, my drummer boy and I were works of art ourselves. I don’t remember ever being so happy. I put paint on my hand and left my handprint on the wall, and he followed my lead. Our multicoloured handprints centered among the beautiful chaos that was my living room. I walked to the middle of the room, and just turned a slow circle around my room. I loved it. I finished the rotation, and Josh was just inches away. 

“Well, what do you think?” his eyes locked into mine.   
“It’s beautiful.”


	8. Chapter 8

Josh and I spent about a week in my colourful new home, getting to know each other. We talked about everything under the sun, I told him about my family, and how I grew up in this tiny town in Montana where everyone knew each other. I talked to him about Zarah and I moving to New York at 18 desperate to make it on our own, and how she met Chris on our fourth day in the city, and how I’d lived in this same apartment ever since she moved out. I talked to him about my desire to travel the world, and about my photography business. He told me about growing up in Ohio, and how he met Tyler through a mutual friend, and all about his travels across the world, and the excitement of being discovered by a label and producing their first official album Vessel.

One night, we were sitting on my couch, a movie playing in the background, my legs were over his and he was tracing lazy patterns on my thigh as we talked. Turns out, this tour break wasn’t much of a break at all.   
“We are recording a new album in L.A., and I have to be there in the studio on Monday,” His expression was as sad as I’d ever seen it.   
“I guess that means you have to fly out tomorrow,” I looked down, not wanting to lose this bliss.   
“Baby, I know it’s crazy, but come with me. Come stay in L.A with me while we record. I have a place there, Tyler and Jenna are gonna stay there with me, you can hang out with Jenna or come to the studio with me, I just don’t want to go without seeing you,” he stopped tracing his patterns, and was absolutely still, just waiting for my answer. I didn’t know what to say, that was a pretty big jump, but I was pretty sure I’d be able to support myself. I did have a pretty good chunk of money in my savings account, and I could keep selling my pictures to magazines. Also, I really, really didn’t want to lose Josh.   
“Alright, I’ll come with you.”

His eyes lit up, and I knew I had made the right decision. “Oh Ade, thank you so much.” 

We booked tickets to fly to L.A. the next day, and I packed in an hour. I turned around to Josh, “Hey will you come with me to the salon, I just can’t deal with this hair anymore, it’s so long, and if it’s hot in L.A. I don’t want to deal with it.” He looked at me with kind of a weird expression, but agreed. I had a plan brewing in the back of my head, but I was too scared to mention it quite yet. 

An hour later I walked out of the salon, my dark brown hair now sat at my collarbones instead of my waist. I pulled into the local drugstore on our way home. “Stay here.” I told Josh. It was my turn to bring a surprise to him. I quickly found what I was looking for, and ran out to the car with a bag full of supplies. Josh was just where I left him, in the passenger seat scrolling through his Twitter feed. 

“Ade, it’s like nine at night, what are you doing?” 

I leaned over the console and pecked his cheek, “You’ll see, drummer boy.” 

As soon as we got home, I pulled my supplies out of the grocery bag. “Okay, don’t freak out, but I want you to help me dye my hair,” I stared at the floor, suddenly terrified that he would think I was crazy. 

He picked up the box off the table, “You want me to dye your hair… blue?” 

“Never mind, it’s stupid,” I started to walk towards my room, face burning. Josh grabbed my arm and pulled me to his chest. 

“That’s awesome. I love it. Can you do mine too? I saw that there is a pink dye there too. That would be sick.” 

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to meet mine. I was so head over heels for this boy, if I didn’t already know he was my soulmate, I would be terrified. 

“Hey, Ade, Im pretty new to this, but am I supposed to look like that mean kid in Harry Potter right now?” We had just washed the bleach out of our hair, and holy shit, we were blonde. Like platinum. I just laughed at Josh’s expression. 

“Yeah, I mean, we bleached out hair, and cause we’ve never dyed our hair before, it worked, like really well.” 

“You’re pretty cute blonde,” his mocha eyes locked onto mine. 

“You seriously do look like Malfoy,” I couldn’t stop giggling at his hair. It was just so blonde. I pulled out my phone, “Come here, I need to be able to remember this.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek as I snapped the picture. “Okay, sit back down, time to make your hair pink.” 

It was nearly 1 in the morning by the time we finished. 

“You know, for a dude, you’re surprisingly good at dying hair,” I looked at Josh, who now had hair that was hot pink. My hair was a beautiful deep blue. “Also, pink hair really suits you drummer boy.”


	9. chapter nine

I woke up with a start. Josh and I had fallen asleep on the couch watching some romantic comedy. I checked my phone. 10 am.   
“Oh shit! Josh! Get up we gotta go we’re gonna miss our flight!” I shrieked.   
“Woah babe, calm down its fine, we don’t fly out until noon, we have two hours.” 

I hate being late. For anything, ever. So I was a bit of a wreck, making sure we both had everything packed, and our passports and I had all of my camera equipment. We were out the door and in a cab within half an hour. My leg shook impatiently through the whole cab ride to the airport. Josh put his hand on my thigh to calm me. I looked over at my pink haired soulmate, he was right, I needed to calm down. I relaxed into him. We arrived at the airport at 11, and after checking in and finding our gate, we had about 15 minutes before boarding.   
“Josh,” I whispered. “People are staring at us.” All over the airport, people would watch us as we walked by, and I couldn’t figure out why.   
“It’s the hair baby. You can tell who can see colour and who can’t by who is staring. See?” He gestured to a woman who didn’t give us a second glance, “clearly we’re all just gray to her.” 

Pity choked me. That woman was clearly in her forties, and hadn’t met her soulmate. I felt so sad for her, because now that I had Josh, I couldn’t imagine being in a black and white world again. 

We boarded our plane, and Josh let me have the window seat. I sunk into my seat, suddenly exhausted from such a busy morning and a late night last night. I leaned into Josh’s shoulder and was asleep before we were in the air.   
“Ade, baby, we’re landing soon, look at L.A below us, it’s amazing,” Josh was gently shaking me awake.   
I yawned and stretched as much as I could in the plane seat. I gazed out the window, my hand linked with his. I could see the ocean glittering in the distance, and the cars on the highway that looked like the toys my brother used to play with when we were little. It was beautiful. So different from New York, a lot more sand and palm trees. It was exactly what it looked like in the movies.   
Getting out of the airport was easy, Josh lead me through the crowds with a practiced ease. What I didn’t expect was our little welcoming committee once we left baggage claim. 

“Jish!” I heard from across the crowd. I looked at Josh, who had the biggest, most adorable grin on his face. He nearly ripped my arm off dragging me across the airport to meet Tyler and Jenna. I stood, almost awkwardly while Tyler and Josh did this elaborate handshake. Jenna caught my eye and giggled. 

“They do this a lot.” 

I laughed, and as soon as their handshake was finished, Josh was right back by my side his fingers laced in mine.   
“Hey, Adrianna!” Tyler greeted me, “I’m happy that you came! Now Jenna has someone to keep her company while we’re recording.”

“That would be so awesome! There is so much to do around L.A.,” Jenna gushed.   
“I’ve always wanted to come here, and I’d love to get some pictures down by the beach!” I felt like I fit into this little group well, considering I had only really met Tyler and Jenna for about five minutes before.   
“Oh, by the way, loving the hair guys,” Jenna laughed.   
I blushed, “I’ve been without colour for so long, so I thought this is the perfect way to celebrate.”  
Our group moved towards the exit, Jenna and Tyler led us to the car and got in the front. Josh and I loaded our bags into the trunk and got into the back seat. I sat by the window, and Josh sat in the middle seat and put his hand on my leg. The drive back to his place seemed to take a long time, but I was used to the traffic so I didn’t mind too much. I looked out the window in awe at the beautiful city, so bright and vibrant. 

It wasn’t a terribly long drive before we pulled up to Josh’s place. It was a nice house, not too extravagant, just a nice cozy little home. 

“I like this place,” I smiled at him, “it suits you.”  
He took my hand as we got out of the car, pulling me inside. “Come on I want to show you around!” 

He took me on a tour of the cozy little house, a two floor, three bedroom place. He used two rooms as bedrooms and the third room had a drum set in it, of course. He took me into the bigger of the two rooms, and closed the door. We unpacked quickly, making small talk as we worked. I walked over to the balcony doors, opened them, and stepped out into the beautiful L.A. air.   
“Josh this is so incredible,” I smiled as I felt him wrap his arms around my waist.   
“I’m so happy I met you, Ade. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever meet my soulmate.”   
I turned around and looked into his beautiful mocha eyes, I didn’t have words, but I felt the same way. I stood on my toes and pressed my lips against his gently. We pulled away and just stood there, wrapped together in the most peaceful moment I have ever experienced.


	10. chapter ten

Tyler and Josh had to be in the studio early the next morning, and as much as I wanted to go with my drummer boy and see him in action, I knew that it would be better to stay away so they could work.  
Jenna and I walked the streets of Los Angeles, and found a quaint little coffee shop. After ordering an iced coffee we went and sat at one of the patio tables outside.  
“Okay Adrianna, I know this is kind of weird and sudden, but Josh has become like my brother since I got together with Tyler, and I just want to let you know how excited the whole crew is that Josh found you. He is the last of the crew,” she said in a rush, “so basically, welcome to the family, it’s a little crazy at times, but you’re going to love it.”  
I grinned at Jenna, “I’m so excited to be a part of this, but, what exactly is this? I’ve never really heard of their band before?”  
She explained to me that Tyler started this all years ago in his basement, recording a solo EP, then with two college friends they released twenty one pilots as their first album, and then Josh came in when the other two guys left. She lit up when she described the two guys chemistry on stage and off. They made an unofficial album together, and then through some miracle they sold a show big enough to get them noticed by record labels, they signed to Fueled by Ramen, made Vessel, and have now written enough songs to create a new album.  
“I tour with them a lot, but not always, I bet Josh will want you with him when they start their next tour cycle. It’s pretty crazy on the road but I bet you will love it, you seem so perfect for Josh,” Jenna rambled, her eyes widening when she realized just how long she had been talking. Not that I minded, it was a fascinating story and I loved learning more about my drummer boy. 

“We should go and see them now!” she said suddenly, jumping up and grabbing my wrist to pull me along the busy sidewalks. It was a fairly short journey to the studio, Josh had rented a house close. We walked into the small building, it was intimate, exactly the kind of place I pictured Josh working. Tyler was in the control room, looking at an assortment of different computer monitors, talking to a man I didn’t recognize about levels and synth tracks, and all this lingo I didn’t understand. He then made a gesture through the window, and I could hear a muted drumming, obviously it was Josh’s turn to record. Jenna and I stood back, not wanting to interrupt the process. I glanced at the blonde beside me and saw her eyes fixed on Tyler, adoration shining clearly through. The drumming came to an end, and Josh came out of the room, we locked eyes and the smile that crossed his features lit up the whole room. Jenna took this as a sign that she could walk up to Tyler and left my side. Josh crossed the small room quickly and grabbed my hand. 

“Hey baby, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, just wanted to see you at work.” I leaned up and kissed him quickly. 

“What did you think?”  
“You sounded amazing drummer boy, what song are you working on?” 

He pulled me over to the monitors, and started pointing out different track lines, explaining how the production process worked, it was all confusing to me and I honestly didn’t understand very much of it, but the way his eyes lit up as he talked about his music was entrancing. I loved watching him be so passionate.  
Jenna and I hung out in the studio watching them work for a couple more hours, then it was time to go. Josh took my hand, Tyler took Jennas, and we split off outside the studio. Josh lead me through the busy L.A streets, and right down to the beach. The view from the beach honestly took my breath away, the water was the most beautiful shade of blue, the sand tan and gorgeous, and my favorite part was looking into the horizon and not being able to see where the ocean stopped and the sky started. I looked up to meet Josh’s mocha brown eyes, amazed with what I could see with him by my side.  
We spent the evening splashing around in the water, and relaxing on the beach. It was peaceful, it was perfect. The sun started setting over the water, colouring the skies a range from bright orange to a baby pink, I’d never seen such a sight. It was the first sunset I had watched in years, they just weren’t the same in shades of gray. I looked to my left, where my beautiful soul mate sat, and I swear, the way his skin looked in the dimming light of the day was poetic in nature. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, and my eyes on him. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be so perfectly matched in my life, but I will never be anything but grateful for the gods above, or the science, or however this crazy world works that I get to be with this beautiful man. 

As if he could feel my stare, Josh turned his head and looked at me, “babe you’re missing the sunset.” 

I blushed, how could I tell him I thought he was prettier? I turned my attention back to the setting sun, and leaned against him. He was warm, he felt like home. 

The next few weeks became a sort of routine. Jenna and I would explore downtown Los Angeles while our boys were working, then I would spend my evenings with Josh. One advantage to his band not being mainstream is that I didn’t have to compete with fans attention all the time. One day though, as we were walking towards the coffee shop Jenna and I had visited on the first day, a young girl came up to him.  
“Excuse me,” she stuttered, “are you Josh Dun?”  
The smile that lit up my drummer boys face was nothing short of spectacular. 

“Yes, I am, what’s your name?” 

He had a short conversation with the girl, I stood a couple feet away to give her a moment with her hero, and I took a picture on the girls phone when she asked. I didn’t mind sharing, the music he and Tyler make is important to a lot of people, I could tell that from the very first time I saw their show.  
Josh walked away from the girl to rejoin me, and the look in his eyes was priceless.  
“Ade, baby she knew who I was. Even without Tyler beside me. She told me we saved her life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow looks whos back like nine months later. is anyone still even reading this? sorry yo. I actually have a decent plot for this and i dont know why its taking me so long to write im sorry.


End file.
